Long distance relationships. Nearly everyone has attempted one before, which leads nearly everyone to have a strong opinion on them. The constant being that they are extremely difficult and that most people would rather not have to be in one. But, the heart often leads us passed the point when our heads tell us to stop, so we endure things we don’t want to, all in the name of love. Because when it comes down to it, distance means very little when someone means so much to us.

I can’t think about love without thinking about God. That’s just the way I’m wired. So, the more I thought about this long distance relationship I’m in, I began to notice certain similarities about it and my relationship with God. Here are some ways that being in a relationship with God is a lot like a long distance relationship:

1. Invisibility.

We can’t see God. We’re devoted to a God that we cannot see. In a long distance relationship (LDR), you devote yourself to a person that you often can’t see either.

2. There has to be communication to be successful.

Prayer is essential to a successful relationship with God. We will never reach our full potential if we don’t communicate with our Savior on a frequent basis. While this goes for all romantic relationships, it is especially true for LDRs because being that people in them don’t have as many shared experiences, there has to be plenty of phone calls, texts, and Skype sessions (my girlfriend thinks Skype is lame lol)to make the relationship work.

3. Trust is key.

Without trust in God, you probably wouldn’t have a relationship with Him in the first place. While trust is another important part in any relationship, it is once again even more important in an LDR simply because it is easier to fall into infidelity. People rarely see you with your partner, so a lot of people assume that you aren’t with anyone and will either try to fix you up with someone, or even hit on you more often than they would someone they knew was in a relationship. If you don’t trust the person you are in a LDR with, this knowledge can drive you crazy. This is why you must have an exorbitant amount of trust in the person you are with.

4. Retreats/visits.

Christians, especially younger Christians, go on at least one or two “retreats” a year to get away from the routine of life to spend time focusing solely on God in order to learn more about Him and fall in love with Him more. People usually return from these retreats feeling refreshed and ready to get back to doing life again knowing that they are closer to God. People in LDRs thrive on having occasional visits whenever possible until they can be together for longer periods of time.

5. Anticipation of being together forever.

Christians anticipate that one day Jesus will return, restore the world to the way it should be, and be with them forever. Similarly, people in LDRs anticipate the distance between them being closed for good at some point in the future. There would be no point in being in an LDR if was going to be long distance forever. People in LDRs know that the distance is just for a season, and they will one day be able to walk across the room to be with their loved one as opposed to traveling across country.

Have you ever been in a long distance relationship before? What’s your opinion on them?

What are some other ways a long distance relationship is like our relationship with God?